INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — Authorities received more than 16 phone calls in 10 minutes regarding a naked man walking south on US 1, Friday afternoon between 4:50 and 5 p.m, according to a police report.
The man was found walking past several open businesses, not attempting to conceal himself, and giving a “thumbs up” to vehicles that were honking as they passed.
Once concealed in the back of a police car, the man identified himself as Moresto M. Garcia and told police his father was a gypsy, according to the arrest affidavit. The man said he had been traveling for as long as he can remember, but did not know where he had been.
When asked why he was giving a “thumbs up” to drivers, he said he was giving “call signs” his father taught him in order to ask people for help, according to the arrest affidavit.
The man reportedly told authorities he had never been issued any form of identification and has never paid taxes because he has never had a job.
The man claimed he stayed overnight at a woman’s home in Vero Beach but did not know the woman’s name. He said he had been walking naked for more than an hour and was traveling to Miami to see his family.
Police came up with a fingerprint match of 24-year-old Nathan Forrest Richardson out of Brevard County.
When an officer addressed the subject as “Nathan,” he positively responded.
The man then said he was unsure if his name was Nathan and continued to give the name “Moresto Garcia.”
He is being held in lieu of $2,000 bond. He faces charges of exposure of sexual organs and giving a false name while detained.